Video Review

DIVE into World Heritage 3D - Behind the Scenes

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Click on the image to watch the video. Length: 4 min 57 sec

A super wide landscape is created with 5 large screen plasma displays placed in embracing positions. What world lies beyond when you watch 3D images on this gigantic display system? "DIVE into World Heritage 3D" has brought to life a magnificent world of majestic images.

Panasonic has signed a strategic partnership agreement with UNESCO World Heritage Centre to promote the conservation of UNESCO World Heritage sites and the environmental education for the children of the next generation. Panasonic developed this display system using its cutting-edge 3D technology to help communicate the wonder of the UNESCO World Heritage sites to people who may not be able to go see it with their own eyes and the importance of protecting the unique legacy.

This system has been set up at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in Paris, Panasonic Centers in Tokyo and Osaka, and will also be set up at exhibitions to be held in various parts of the world.

Don't you wonder how such beautiful, panoramic 3D images were shot? When you look at the crystal clear image quality of each display, it's apparent that they didn't shoot the images with one camera and stretched it wide to fit the 5 screens.

This video, "DIVE into World Heritage 3D - Behind the Scenes" documents how the images were shot at the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park (both in the US), the Stonehenge (in the UK), and more using 5 3D cameras affixed to a special place in a fanned-out position. Panasonic was the first to introduce the integrated twin-lens 3D camera recorder to the world (a 3D camera with 2 lenses integrated into a single body). The making-of scenes using the unique performance of the 3D cameras to the utmost is a must-see.

Please take a look at the shooting crew working diligently to create wonderful footage, which will help capture the magnificence of the UNESCO World Heritage sites and the importance of protecting them.

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"DIVE into World Heritage 3D" is a system that features 5 screens on which a single 3D image is displayed per frame rather than 5 different image feeds. As you can see in the scene on the right, to shoot these images, the integrated twin lens 3D camera recorders, AG-3DA1, were placed in fanned-out position.

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As you can see, the 5 cameras are placed on a metal plate. The angles at which the cameras are placed have been calculated meticulously.

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On the left, you will see the camera crew shooting the Stonehenge from above using a crane. On the right, you can see that the camera was set up at the edge of the cliff at the Grand Canyon. For using 5 3D cameras, the entire set up is quite small. This is made possible by the compact size of the AG-3DA1.

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You can see in the scene on the left, that the images captured by the 5 3D cameras were checked on 5 monitors set up as the same angles as the cameras. P2 cards resilient against shock, vibration, and temperature variations were used to store the footage. They are well suited for rough shoots such as this one.

To shoot 3D movies, often 2 cameras, one for each eye, are set up on a rig. But it may have been difficult to shoot these images with such a rig. Even if you were able to create a system with 10 cameras, you would need a lot of equipment and it would be quite costly. And you would not have much mobility. The compact, integrated twin-lens 3D camera recorders made it possible to shoot such unique footage.

< OTHER INTERESTING VIDEOS >

On June 3, 2011, Panasonic and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre signed a strategic partnership agreement to help promote World Heritage conservation and environmental education for children of the next generation. These excerpts from the press conference held at the Panasonic Center Tokyo will give you a glimpse of what this new partnership will be like.

Click on the image to watch the video.

Title: Panoramic 3D images of World Heritage sites showcased at the Panasonic Center Tokyo and Osaka

"DIVE into World Heritage 3D," which showcases 3D images of the World Heritage sites on 5 plasma displays, has been set up at the Panasonic Center in Tokyo and Osaka. Please also take a look at the event held there called "World Heritage Weeks!" and the various related exhibits.